"The Japanese word Mottanai is used to express regret over a resource or possession being wasted. It loosely translates to “What a waste”, and describes an attitude of trying to avoid being wasteful as much as we can. It is rooted in Japanese Buddhist philosophy that holds that we should respect and feel great gratitude towards our world and all the resources it gives us. Some people say it also has connections to the Shinto belief that objects have souls and therefore should be treated with respect. And the best way to show respect is by not wasting them.

Besides being a spiritual idea, Mottainai has clear practical implications as well. From not leaving even a single grain of rice in a plate, using all parts of an animal or vegetable for cooking, repairing clothes instead of buying new ones, repurposing and upcycling old objects and giving them new life to keep using older technology while they still function instead of upgrading, there are a million ways we can do to ensure we are using resources as efficiently as possible."